FITCHBURG — Heather M. Dupuis and her husband have five children 13 and under, so getting six unlimited passes to Great Wolf Lodge New England's water park as an employee at the kids' spa there is one of the perks of her job, which she said she absolutely loves.

The 32-year-old said she had been searching for a job in her field as a nail technician for more than two years while she made ends meet working part-time at a Dunkin' Donuts. Then, a friend told her Great Wolf Lodge was opening its first water park and resort in New England and she immediately began scoping out what positions it would be looking to fill. She applied online as is required by the company and landed a job as a nail tech at Scoops kids' spa, getting paid "decent" money with base pay, commission and tips.

"This is just amazing," the Templeton resident said during Great Wolf's grand opening Thursday. "I love coming to work every day. They really care about their employees."

One of the other perks is employee family days at the resort twice a year, she said.

"My 5-year-old daughter keeps thanking me for having the best job ever so she can come and have fun," she said.

Hundreds packed the wolf-themed lobby for the grand opening Thursday morning. The hotel was at about 25 percent occupancy, Great Wolf spokeswoman Susan L. Story said.

Ms. Dupuis is one of 400 "pack members" (about half are full-time) the company hired in preparation. Great Wolf plans to hire an additional 100 staff to deal with peak season, Ms. Story said.

"We're always looking for people," she said.

Phil Cunningham, general manager, said the company tapped high schools and colleges and held job fairs to fill positions.

Great Wolf, which owns and operates a dozen family resorts in the U.S. and Canada under the Great Wolf Lodge brand, features specialty restaurants, arcades, spas, fitness rooms and children's activity areas in addition to water parks at each resort. Exclusive to the resort in Fitchburg is a ropes course for adults and children.

Great Wolf's flagship resort, which opened 18 years ago in Wisconsin, is on a "well-worn destination path," said CEO Kim Schaefer, as is its resort in the Poconos and others. But over time and with mega-branding strategies, the company no longer needs to rely on what others have built before it to draw a crowd.

"We've established a brand and we're known as a regional, quality destination," Ms. Schaefer said. "Our resort in Grapevine, Texas, outside of Dallas, is really the only reason people are going there. We support our own population here. We really are the destination."

The company just broke ground on its newest, and one of its largest, resorts, to open in 2016, that is just a mile from Disneyland in California.

"We call it a trip on a tank," she said, referring to gas mileage. "When you get here, you don't have to leave."

Still, Great Wolf will collaborate with the Wachusett Mountain Ski Area on its festivals, Mr. Cunningham said, to help provide guests with a well-rounded New England experience.

The Coveys drove two hours from their hometown of Rollinsford, N.H., Wednesday to stay overnight to give 8-year-old daughter, Jamie E. Covey, a mini-vacation and the "princess treatment" at the kids' spa.

"I love it," Jamie said, donning her princess sash and tiara, after getting an ice cream-flavored facial and manicure. "I love all the water slides."

Her dad, James A. Covey, a carpenter, said Jamie carried a large raft up four flights of stairs twice by herself.

"I was in the chair watching," he said, with a laugh. He had already tried several of the slides with her beforehand, he said.

"They really pay attention to safety — it is incredible," he said. "The lifeguards are constantly scanning the pool. They trained the staff well."

The Coveys said they had checked out Great Wolf's website after seeing advertisements and were excited one was opening close enough to drive to without incurring additional travel costs.

"It is a blast," Jamie's mom, Lisa E. Covey, said. "It is so close to home. We got right off the highway yesterday and we were here."

Russell W. Rhodes, 40, from Westminster, who works as water park maintenance manager, said he felt the job was made for him. Originally from South Africa, he used to work as manager of indoor pool decks for Royal Caribbean Cruise ships before the company eliminated the position, he said. When he saw the position open up at Great Wolf after getting his green card squared away (he came to the United States in 2012), he applied online right away, he said.

"They are one of the best employees I've worked for," he said. "Coming from a ship to a land position, and working for the first time in the States, I am happy. I'm employed."

"I can see myself staying here," he said. "I worked at the Marriott years ago and there is a company culture there like there is here. I love the culture here. You drink the company Kool-Aid, so to speak, and start howling. I have a 6-year-old son, and they are very family-friendly."

Great Wolf Lodge, owner of North America's largest indoor water parks, renovated and expanded the indoor water park resort at the site of the former Holiday Inn and CoCo Key water park, off Route 31.

The resort has more than 400 newly renovated suites, various entertainment offerings, dining options and amenities.

Community leaders have lauded the project, which has brought hundreds of additional jobs to the area, promises a $1 million increase in yearly room tax revenue and will increase real estate taxes. Moreover, Great Wolf said it plans to spend millions to market the region as a vacation destination.

Great Wolf invested $59 million into the facility's redevelopment, including the acquisition of the property, increasing its real estate value by $26 million.

Construction started just after Labor Day to renovate the indoor water park and hotel, with a new address of Great Wolf Drive (formerly Royal Plaza Drive).

The resort features 406 guest suites and a water park equipped with water slides, a wave pool, and a multilevel tree house with water-tipping bucket, among other attractions. The hotel will offer several suite styles to choose from, such as the Majestic KidCabin, which sleeps 11, and the Grizzly Wolf Den, which sleeps 10.

The number of hotel rooms was increased from 245 to 406, while the water park doubled in size to 68,000 square feet — the largest in the state, according to Great Wolf, and also features several dining options, a ropes course and more than 12,000 square feet of conference space.

Guests who stay at the resort have free access to the water park, including on the days they check in and check out.